You can now trade your cup of coffee, even two cups for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for your daily dose of caffeine. A peanut butter brand raises health concerns and catches the attention of U.S. Senator Charles Schumer.
A brand recently launched in Massachusetts last year, called STEEM, offers a caffeinated peanut butter that is "perfect not only for athletes and active people, but also for normal life"-as the brand's website says. They are marketing it as a power combination of protein from peanuts with the energy boost in caffeine.
However, Sen. Charles Schumer does not buy this advertisement and actually wants the Food and Drug Administration to investigate the safety of the caffeinated version of the popular protein-packed spread. Two tablespoons of the controversial peanut butter contains the same dose of caffeine as almost two cups of coffee, and even 5 times more than in a can of Coke.
In the past, Schumer has called for bans on caffeinated alcoholic beverages and powdered caffeine. For that reason, the FDA promptly responded and took action by removing some of those beverages from the market and sent warning letters to the manufacturers. Looks like, Schumer will not let STEEM go as he explained in a press release that caffeine is a powerful stimulant and unsafe amounts of this can cause unpleasant symptoms like increased heart rate and blood pressure and an overdose of it can be fatal.
Since peanut butter is one of the snacks most closely associated with children, Schumer demands immediate action from the FDA and determine whether this caffeinated food product should be pulled out from the shelves. According to Kids Health, too much of caffeine can result to upset stomach, headaches, increased heart rate and blood pressure, difficulting concentrating and sleeping, among other negative side effects.
On the other hand, STEEM released a statement to Quartz that their company met the terms and every obligation required of them before distributing their products. The company further emphasized that the peanut butter is safe when "used as directed".
